Nonprofit Bridge

This week’s meeting focused on reviewing nonprofit web sites which were recently redesigned.  Since many of us consult mostly with co-workers when developing a new site, I always find it very informative to hear from colleagues at other organizations .  (We also do a lot of this at the Not-For-Profit Webmaster Round Table, which will meet next on March 19.) Please visit sites which we reviewed (some still being redesigned) and give feedback to the organizations on what you like or don’t like:

• MS Foundation for Women
• New York Public Library
• Children’s Health Fund
• ACLU
• YAI

Other topics we discussed:

1. Should navigation links be removed from a donation form to not ‘distract’ the donor from completing the process?  Many attendees said yes.
2. Nonprofits that sent multiple appeals near year-end 2009 reported excellent results, demonstrating the benefit of taking advantage of the tax deduction by 12/31
3. Only a few are implementing Convio’s Common Ground, which provides an integrated donor database – may discuss further at a later meeting
4. Drupal is in use by more of us, but link with Convio is not yet available.  (open source CiviCRM does connect well with Drupal)
5. We agreed that implementing a welcome series for new supporters was worthwhile, but few are using yet – too much time to setup?
6. Video – YAI has done well with its YouTube channel;  TubeMogul was also mentioned as way to upload to multiple video sites.
7. Some reports of recent delays in sending emails through Facebook Causes, resulting in a holiday message that reached constituents late
8. Per ACLU, activists that have taken at least two actions are very likely to become donors (may incorporate into welcome series)
9. Some sites are moving away from Flash to Javascript for home page – better viewed on mobile phones
10. Challenges in working with Facebook, which ‘changes every day’

Thanks to the YAI Network for hosting meeting, YAI’s Dario Mallerman for moderating discussion and Convio’s Stephanie McKnight for coordinating.  More details are also in Convio’s Community site (login required).   Despite the beginning of a two day rain/snow storm in NYC, about 50 Convio users attended!

I am pleased to announce that as of Feb. 22, I will be joining Common Knowledge as Senior Consultant.  I’ve known President / Founder Jeff Patrick for several years, and have had the opportunity to attend many of his web trainings on a variety of ephilanthropy topics.  It is particularly exciting for me to join forces with a firm that matches so closely with my personal passion to help nonprofits develop and implement online strategies, as I’ve done for several organizations for almost ten years.  Common Knowledge’s services have resulted in many effective website redesigns and have been on the cutting edge of showing how nonprofits can utilize social media to achieve their goals.

While Common Knowledge is based in San Francisco, I will be working from the NYC area and working with clients mostly on the East Coast.   Please see a sampling of the firm’s current clients as well as its blog which I hope to contribute to.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me during my quest for a new position and has encouraged me to continue to focus on ephilanthropy.  I am looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Jeff and his very talented staff, many who I will be meeting soon.

When you present, do you get frustrated with attendees who seem to be paying more attention to their phones / computers than to your presentation?  In her presentation this week on the Trainer’s Social Media Tool Box, Beth Kanter explained how to use social media to enhance your sessions by encouraging sharing of information.   A new book, the Back Channel, details this phenomenon in more detail.  (If you’re still waiting until the end of your talk to take questions, you definitely need to see Beth’s notes.)

Jeff Brooks also spoke on a Network for Good call on what not to do in online fundraising – slides are available here.  (Hint – if your figures are not growing, you’re missing something.)

Do you maintain a database for advocacy that’s separate from your main donor database?  Care2’s webinar on Connecting Advocacy to Fundraising showed how activists can also be top fundraisers, if you take the time to cultivate them.   Activists also consistently open emails more frequently than other supporters.

If you need help in selecting tools for your organization (who doesn’t?), take a look at Idealware’s just released Field Guide to Software for Nonprofits.  Laura Quinn’s organization has always provided great information through her web site, blog and enewsletter.  I helped with some edits for this book – it is definitely worth getting.

Now that there’s so many ways to communicate with constituents, are you taking the time to make sure your messaging is consistent and on brand across channels?  See notes from Kivi Leroux Miller’s talk this week on Integrating Your Website, Email Newsletter and Social Media Sites.  Also see Blackbaud’s tips on Multi-Channel Engagement.

Like most nonprofits, Idealist has having some challenging times and has asked for our help.  Ami Dar’s work has long benefited the nonprofit community.  Please help.

Finally, are you helping your constituents to run their own fundraising events, or do you only help with events run by your organization?  If so, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Read Independent Fundraising Events Bring Big Returns, which links to a recent white paper by Blackbaud and Event 360; you can also register for a webinar on Feb. 3 to learn more.

Depending on how you interpret the 2009 statistics, online giving is the greatest thing since sliced bread or is over-hyped and still represents a small piece of overall donations.  Today’s Agitator.net post challenges us to think beyond the numbers.  Some major points:

• Are new online donors simply moving over from other channels, or are they really ‘new’?
• What’s getting in the way of some nonprofits that are not seeing increases in online giving?
• If your organization has experienced a jump in online donations, do you understand why?
• Are you taking advantage of integrated strategies to coordinate your online and offline appeals?
• Can new online donors be ultimately upgraded to higher levels of engagement – as you would normally want for offline supporters?
• If some donors are contributing because their friends or family asked, can you expect them to have a relationship with your nonprofit directly to encourage future support?
• Are you doing enough testing of online messaging, as carefully as you would do for offline?

Online fundraising isn’t a magic bullet, as those who simply add a donation button to their web site without any further effort soon learn.  Similarly, if you send out regular email marketing messages but don’t analyze who’s opening and actually reading them (and who unsubscribe), you’re missing the boat.  Regardless of your 2009 online numbers, you can probably do better in 2010 by taking the time to answer some of these questions.

For more online fundraising tips, download this new Online Fundraiser’s Checklist, review 25 Tips for Better Fundraising Copy and note the recent boom in mobile fundraising (hint – this channel won’t only be effective after earthquakes).  More people are online, but fewer are using the traditional desktop of laptop computer.  Apple’s new tablet is coming soon to add yet another option.

This week’s disaster in Haiti has again highlighted online fundraising, as well as an expanded role for text messaging to raise money.  Apparently giving through your mobile phone is now a viable option and doesn’t always involve large fees to carriers – see post from Tech Soup, interview with Katya Andresen and CARE2’s advice that it’s Time to Get Mobile.  How sad it is that logistics have made it difficult to get the help to those in need quickly (hopefully this will change shortly).   Whatever channel you prefer, please give to the charity of your choice.

Hopefully, it won’t only be disasters that sends donors online.  Network for Good offers 5 Trends That Will Affect Online Fundraising in 2010.

But please don’t throw out the old tools when implementing the new.  Direct mail still has its place but this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try some new approaches.  As Steve MacLaughlin writes, Direct Mail is Not Dead, but single channel communication is.

Thanks to Katya and Jocelyn Harmon for this week’s session on how to thank donors.   It’s amazing to me that some nonprofits still don’t always acknowledge gifts, other than a generic auto reply (and sometimes not even that).   And don’t only communicate with your constituents when you’re asking for money – this is a year-round dialogue.

Care2’s Frogloop surveyed some of our brightest stars to summarize the Best Nonprofit Strategies for 2010.   Network for Good’s  Katya Andresen and Blackbaud’s Steve MacLaughlin provide some early statistics on 2009 online giving.   Convio, which offers a a 2010 Resolutions Guide to help plan online initiatives, recently asked nonprofits what they most want to focus on in the New Year:

1. Reconnect with donors by giving new options of engagement
2. Increase fundraising for participant-led events
3. Use social media to reach the next generation of supporters
4. Improve multichannel engagement/integration
5. Evaluate website’s effectiveness

Some of my thoughts:

1. Despite the recession, online giving continued to be a strong fundraising source.  If you already accept online donations and regularly communicate with your constituents, congratulations.  But if you haven’t worked to optimize your forms and don’t analyze how well your email marketing is working, you’re probably leaving money on the table.
2. Don’t obsess about the ‘best’ tools to use for online fundraising.  It’s more important that you select a vendor / product that will likely be around for awhile (ask colleagues at other nonprofits for recommendations) and that you consider how it will connect to your other systems.
3. Social networking is not a fad.  Yes, it’s still better to make sure your web site, database and email marketing strategies are in place first, but don’t overlook tools such as Facebook and Twitter.  Remember that conversations about your cause and organization are going on all the time;  make sure you’re a part of them.
4. Fundraising is everyone’s responsibility, not just the development department.  Ideally, marketing/communication and fundraising/development strategies should be planned together since one supports the other.
5. Still think that your constituents won’t respond to online fundraising initiatives?  Think again;  use all available channels and let your supporter decide which to use – direct mail recipients often choose to respond online.

Just getting started online?  Here’s a helpful online fundraising primer.

As a regular user of the New York Public Library, I’ve usually had to time my visits to when the branches are open.  In the past, there have been at least one day weekly when the library was completely closed (in addition to Sunday), and ‘late’ hours would only be provided one or two days / week.  Recently at the Mid Manhattan Library, I was amazed to learn that this location was now open extended hours, not only daily but with hours to 11 PM several days / week.  How was the library able to do this, especially in these times of recession?

Over the years I’ve developed relationships with many consultants / vendors who serve nonprofits, only some which I’ve worked with directly.  In preparation for our regular update call, I listened to a presentation that Michael Johnston of HJC New Media which is available for listening from his web site.  During an hour of many examples of how he’s implemented cross-channel strategies at many nonprofit clients, he mentioned his work at the New York Public Library.  In addition to raising funds which allowed the library to avoid further cutbacks in hours, Michael’s work succeeded also in breaking down silos between departments, a problem which I’ve seen at many organizations when developing and implementing online strategies.

Other interesting takeaways included:

1. when combining direct mail and email, it’s usually better to send the direct mail first, then follow up with a corresponding email appeal.
2. since many recipients of direct mail will visit the nonprofit’s web page before donating, integrate the home page with the latest direct mail content / graphics
3. send direct mail to supporters who are already raising money online;  ask that they encourage others to do the same
4. to stimulate monthly giving, follow up with web donors with a phone call, thanking them for their support and asking that they deepen their commitment
5. put videos online, immediately followed by an ask – an effective alternative to always providing a static donation form
6. if using a radio campaign, direct listeners to visit a microsite / unique URL where they can show their support
7. if using social media, make sure you can track donations coming from this source;  make sure your social media pages include a call to action (not necessarily to donate)

Using a multichannel approach not only can result in higher donations, but can help your organization to work more effectively and provide a consistent message to constituents, no matter how they hear about you.  Which of the above techniques can you implement today?

Most nonprofits get the bulk of their donations during December.  So what can we do to get the word out this month?

Heavyweight Salvation Army has stepped up its digital marketing efforts, switching its radio budget to online communications.  There is now an online version of the red kettle, which have already appeared at many locations I pass daily.  They’ve also embraced newer tools, such as an Iphone application and have established a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter.   After long relying on direct mail for new donor acquisition, Salvation Army is now focusing on online community building and on attracting younger donors through online strategies.

Convio estimates that more than 111 million constituents will donate over $4 billion online this holiday season.   At last month’s Convio Summit and Blackbaud Conference (oddly held during the same week in different parts of the country), the theme was the same – web giving continues to increase, even while overall donations have dropped a bit during the recession.  In his overview of online fundraising, Steve MacLaughlin suggested that we segment our audiences by generation – and communicate with them differently.  He also suggested we build relationships with constituents by asking for small actions first before asking for financial help.

How do you keep up with the many communication channels now available, e.g. email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter etc.   In her recent presentation at the Blackbaud event, Nten’s Holly Ross suggested we use filters to find what’s most relevant and not try to “keep up with everything.”  The volume of information available through social media can be overwhelming, but we have to find a way to keep abreast of conversations that are already taking place about our organizations and our causes.   Looking for a tool to integrate email with social media?  Take a look at Threadsy.

What’s the fundraising outlook for 2010?  According to Mal Warwick Associates, we should try to get donors to give more frequently, even if they can’t make the large contributions they’ve given us in the past.   In addition, we should continue to use a multichannel approach because “the number of donors who choose to respond by writing a check will only continue to dwindle.”

Wishing everyone a prosperous end of year fundraising season.

Today’s Nten webinar led by Blackbaud Internet evangelist Steve MacLaughlin offered a comprehensive review of online fundraising.  See Steve’s Connections blog for links to reports referenced in today’s session.  Some of my takeaways:

• While online revenue represented only 5% of total fundraising in 2008, online receipts jumped 44% over 2007
• Event fundraising emails (e.g. friends asking friends)  have an incredibly high click through rate – 57% in period covered by study
• Only 16% of event fundraisers send emails – imagine how much more successful these events could be if more participants were encouraged to fundraise!
• Donor retention is much worse for online donors than for offline acquisition.  More analysis is under way, but this may be partially due to donors having the ability to make ’spur of the moment’ contributions without having a real commitment to the organization
• How to increase donor retention? It is critical to quickly respond to donors / event participants / those who take an action to solidify the relationship.  (How often have you not received an email confirmation, or have received a boilerplate document with no customization?)
• Senior management must drive integration of fundraising across channels – “We don’t live in a single channel world.”
• Facebook and other social networking platforms are still more useful as engagement tools than as primary fundraising techniques.
• Small organizations may be able to do as well or better than larger nonprofits since they don’t have the traditional infrastructure and can act more quickly

While most of these points weren’t a surprise, Steve’s summary provides a great overview for nonprofits that still need help in creating online fundraising strategies.

Addendum 11/5/09 – Hear me interviewed on Zonta Women’s Community Radio about how nonprofits should approach ephilanthropy and social media.  Thanks Roxanne Neilson, President, Zonta Club of New Rochelle for arranging.

As we enter the most important part of the year for fundraising, Convio’s Blake Groves and Marc Cannon provided many useful pointers at this week’s NYC Convio User Group meeting, held at YAI in New York City.  Most of these ideas don’t require that you use Convio, nor do they need a large capital inflow.  But they do require a willingness to do things a bit differently than you may have in the past.  For example:

1. When you provide downloadable content on your web site, do you first ask for name and email address so you can build your list?
2. Have you explored ‘chaperoned’ email, where a partner organization provides your messaging to its own constituents?
3. Do you use petitions to ask constituents to take a stand on issues other than advocacy (also so you can build your list)?
4. Have you included surveys in enewsletters as a way of getting data to segment your audiences?
5. Do you plan a campaign approach / series of messages for year-end fundraising, filtering out those who have already donated?
6. Are you absolutely certain that you will have a final email appeal ready to be sent on December 31st, when many constituents are most likely to give?
7. Have you implemented a welcome series for new subscribers to your elist?
8. Do you encourage constituents to ask others to get involved with your organization (personal appeals are always more effective than when they come from the nonprofit)
9. Have you clearly identified who your audiences are – and developed separate ways to communicate with each?
10. Finally, have you tried A/B testing on your donation form, email messages, landing pages to determine what works best with your constituents?

Marc asked the group what mostly stops us from fully utilizing these approaches.  The responses (not surprising): limited resources, changing/competing priorities and lack of support from senior management.  Perhaps by using a prototype approach, how can you optimize fundraising and outreach efforts at your organization?